WOMEN IN BUSINESS MENTOR PROGRAM:

Carolyn Dean, InnerFocus Therapies and IntoFocus

The Women in Business Mentor program gave clinical hypnotherapist Carolyn Dean the support she needed to launch her second business, IntoFocus, providing business advice and services to health practitioners.

Carolyn had already made the transition from the corporate world to set up her first business, InnerFocus Therapies. She found that the business skills she had acquired during her work in sales and corporate consulting allowed her to quickly develop her practice, to the point that other health practitioners started to seek her advice.

Realising there was a gap in the market, Carolyn decided to launch IntoFocus to provide health professionals and health studies graduates with the business training required to successfully run a private practice.  Believing she could benefit from further training in small business, Carolyn also decided to join the 2005 Women in Business Mentor Program.

"Although I had great business experience through my corporate career I knew that there was still a lot to know about running a small business effectively and efficiently, particularly on the marketing side."

Carolyn was teamed with marketing expert Caroline Thomas, Director of Starfish Global Communications, who helped her crystallise her vision for IntoFocus and create an effective business and marketing plan.

"Caroline was able to provide help with all aspects of business planning and start-up; clearing the haze that I had around marketing, working with me through the ever changing vision for the business; and above all pinning me down and making me commit to doing and not just talking about things!'

Carolyn particularly enjoyed the support, friendship and guidance that she received from her mentor, together with the ability to explore ideas and receive unbiased and experienced advice. She also found the workshops and interaction with the other participants to be of enormous value.

"The presenters and participants were sharing their honest experience, which meant that the subject matter being presented was always real and relevant to what we were experiencing outside of the workshops. It was wonderful to be able to meet other women experiencing similar issues and to be able to swap information, stories and support."

The program has helped Carolyn move closer to her vision for IntoFocus, which is to be the one-stop shop for health practitioners with business needs. She wholeheartedly recommends the program to any woman wanting to expand their knowledge and their business.

"It is an incredible program which allows you to learn from the mentors who have already 'been there, done that and got the T-shirt'! Yes, it requires hard work and commitment. But the women who are willing to put in the maximum effort for the six months will benefit exponentially from the experience in the years ahead."

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